国家是流浪儿童救助的第一责任主体

流浪儿童救助突然升温,成了一个炙手可热的话题。从偶然性来看似乎是“随手拍”民间活动使然,从必然性来看则是问题长期积聚的当下爆发。流浪儿童救助,国家是义不容辞的第一责任主体,主要原因如下：从流浪儿童的产生来看,主要肇始于改革开放以来社会控制方式的改变以及社会资源配置的地区差异,     

儿童福利政策的国际比较与借鉴

儿童福利是社会保障制度中最基本和最核心的部分,西方工业化国家大多有儿童资助的传统,许多国家都建立了儿童福利制度,儿童福利已成为工业化国家社会保障体系中的重要组成部分。对儿童的资助不仅体现了一种社会正义原则,而且也强化了家庭责任感和社会责任感。本文分析概括了西方国家儿童福利模式的发展情况。列举若干国家对于儿童福利模式的做法,根据中国儿童福利的优势和不足,借鉴他国成功经验．提出推动儿童福利立法建设、建立专门的儿童行政管理机构、建设职业化的儿童福利工作人员队伍、普及儿童大病救助和对残障儿童的福利津贴制度、对福利机构和救助机构多元治理、倡导政府儿童福利理念由儿童生存向儿童发展转变等有针对性的建议。     

社会帮扶网络体系下的困境儿童问题研究——以闵行区儿童保护的实证研究为展开

相对于普通儿童来说,困境儿童在自身、家庭等多方面均存在着各种各样的问题。以上海市闵行区为研究重点,梳理上海市困境儿童社会帮扶体系发展现状,主要对目前有关政策展开相应评估,提出现有政策的瓶颈;面向未来,分析上海困境儿童社会帮扶体系发展趋势,构建未来战略目标;并综合设计既继承传统又有所创新的上海困境儿童社会帮扶体系。     

脑瘫儿童社会救助中的问题研究

据世界卫生组织统计,目前全国约有脑瘫儿童病例600万例,并以每年4.6万的速度递增,已成为严重的公共卫生问题。但通过中国知网等学术网站检索得出目前关于脑瘫儿童社会救助研究的论文仅有3篇,因此,基于福利多元主义理论提供的福利多元主体,从政府、家庭、学校、医疗机构、社区、非政府组织六个方面,探寻脑瘫儿童社会救助存在的问题,并提出相应的对策。     

农村留守儿童发展困境分析——基于依恋理论视角

伴随着社会的发展,城市化的加快,农村务工的人数在逐年增长,继空巢老人之后,留守儿童成为又一大社会问题,这种现象打破了孩子对父母应有的依恋关系,加上对儿童的疏于管教和祖辈的溺爱,留守儿童产生一系列的问题,在健康持续发展上面临着困境。本文基于依恋理论,通过分析留守儿童的现状及发展过程中的困境问题,提出一些解决对策,帮助儿童解决发展困境,促进其健康茁壮成长。     

日本儿童福利政策的发展变迁

为所有儿童提供一个安心、安全,能最大程度实现自我和社会参与的健康成长环境是儿童福利的核心部分,而儿童福利政策则是实现上述目标的政策保障。本文以日本儿童福利政策的发展变迁为纵轴,分析梳理20世纪90年代日本儿童福利政策从“补缺型”向“普惠型”、从“儿童福利”向“儿童、家庭福利”、从“救助、保护”向“自立支援”转变的背景和主要内容．为我国儿童福利体系发展提供拳者视点．     

困境儿童福利政策的深层效果评估——基于受益人的自主性需求视角

科学而深入的政策效果评估是社会福利治理现代化的应有之义。从政策受益人的需求出发,考察政策对其深层福利需求的满足情况,有助于完善政策评估,改进福利治理。研究发现,困境儿童的基本生活保障金额受到困境类型、贫困程度和家庭监护缺失的显著影响。困境儿童大部分得到政策帮助,帮助内容及其供给部门呈现多元化。基于人的自主性需求视角,困境儿童的身体健康深受福利政策的影响。社会救助是残疾儿童维系身体健康的关键,但其对患病儿童、体弱儿童和身体健康儿童的影响有限或不明确。困境儿童福利政策应更注重提升儿童的身体健康,确保儿童自主性发展需求的满足。     

福利国家发展的系统逻辑——卢曼社会系统理论中的福利国家及其危机

本文尝试呈现卢曼的福利国家论述。工业化中的补偿逻辑与政治系统的纳入原则共同推动了福利国家兴起。在现代功能分化的社会中,福利国家是政治系统的绩效,也是政治加诸国家之上的过量负担。政治系统内部分化和权力循环是福利国家扩张的结构性成因,以人类基本权利和道德为指向的进步观念,与周期性选举带来的执政党更迭是福利国家增长的直接动力。卢曼揭示了福利国家危机的根源在于社会功能性分化与政治系统去分化之间的张力,并将政治系统的自我限制作为解决方案。卢曼福利国家分析具有很强的普遍性,但是对于微观现实的解释力和批判性稍弱。同时,卢曼的论述带有深刻的西方文明印记,对于发展中国家社会保障制度发展缺乏关注,其历史普遍适用性也有待于进一步检验。     

农村留守儿童发展困境分析——基于依恋理论视角

农村留守儿童作为社会弱势群体,正在受到社会各阶层的广泛关注。经济分化的差异性扩大,农村青壮年劳动力更多地流向经济发达地区,导致留守儿童和父母长期性的异地分离,缺少了以父母为基础的社会支持网络,致使儿童具有需求表达的边缘性、教育拮据的窘迫性、生活上的无助性、心理情感上的脆弱性,这必然对农村留守儿童的发展产生一定的负面影响。本文从依恋理论的视角出发,对留守儿童和依恋理论的定义作出阐释,了解当前留守儿童的发展困境,分析留守儿童存在的心理问题,最后对农村留守儿童的发展提出建议,使其保持健康的心理状态。     

积极福利理念下城市低保对象的就业救助探究

在积极社会福利的背景下,对有劳动能力的低保人群采用以低保金为重心的救助方式,违背了社会救助的目的。因此,通过就业救助带动有劳动能力的低保对象积极就业,以保障其生活,促进社会公平和谐就显得尤为重要。我国就业救助尚存在制度措施不完善、忽视救助对象的差异性、落实难度大、水平低等问题。对此,提出完善相关制度、建立以社区为依托的具体措施、提高精准性和实用性等建议。     

基于社会服务项目的儿童福利资源整合

当前,我国儿童福利资源存在资源匮乏、供给分散、可获得性弱等问题,而社会服务项目则是解决这些问题的一种路径。以福利治理为理论视角,尝试以一个留守儿童社会服务项目为例的研究发现,该项目通过不同形式的合作整合了来自政府、军队、群团组织、社会组织、企业、社区等资源,提高了福利资源的供给效率,满足了留守儿童多元化的福利需求,但是,由于项目本身的周期性、制度保障的缺乏等限制,导致了项目难以持续发挥作用。因此,基于社会服务项目的福利资源整合只是一种基于实践基础上的暂时的整合,而最根本的还需要在福利制度上进行整合。     

Film Portrayals of Social Workers Doing Child Welfare Work

This article reports on research that investigated the images of social workers engaged in child welfare work as portrayed in movies, a major medium of popular culture. Findings from an analysis of 27 movies spanning from 1938 to 1999 are presented with particular attention to themes about how children are depicted as recipients of child welfare services and how child welfare worker activities and interventions are portrayed. Ways that the results of the research can guide intervention efforts that more accurately and more completely portray the activities, values, and knowledge base of the profession of social work are suggested.     

An Examination of the Indian Child Welfare Act Section of State Title IV-B Child and Family Services Plans

The current study examined a nationwide sample of the ICWA section within state Title IV-B Child and Family Services Plans. Content analysis was performed to examine whether states were meeting ICWA mandates and federal requirements and interviews with regional/central Administration for Children and Families administrators and state officials were conducted. Major findings included ACF program instructions lacked detail and clarity as to what should be included, a majority of states reported consulting with tribes in the CFSP development, and over half of all state CFSPs did not reference any of the three specific measures outlined in ACF guidelines. Implications of findings are discussed and recommendations are offered to develop measurable outcomes to evaluate ICWA compliance and improve the federal monitoring processes.     

Power and Child Protection: The Need for a Child Welfare Service Users' Union or Association

Abstract

This paper reports a study in which parents who had received child protection intervention set out to develop a “Service Users' Guide” to help parents newly receiving intervention better understand and cope with the process. The study took place in Ontario, Canada between 2004–2009. Ninety-five parents took part in 13 focus groups and 20 individual interviews. A mix of Participatory Action and grounded theory methods were used to enable parents to develop their service uses guide. As the study progressed it quickly became evident that the biggest issue parents face when receiving intervention is an imbalance in power between themselves and workers. This paper describes the problems this power imbalance causes for parents and presents a potential solution suggested by parents themselves – the development of a child welfare service users' association or union. Parent's ideas about why this association is needed, how it could function, and the benefits it might bring, are discussed. The paper concludes by reviewing the benefits a service users' association might bring not only for those receiving child welfare intervention, but all social work services.     

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Child Welfare Practice and Social Work Education

Social work in the field of child welfare is complex and full of challenges. In British Columbia Canada, the Ministry of Children and Family Development, which is the main employer of social workers, entered a partnership with universities to educate baccalaureate social work students in a child welfare specialization. This paper examines an instructional approach to child welfare education at the University of Northern British Columbia. The geography of the university region as well as the need to maintain a critical standpoint presented challenges in the delivery of a child welfare specialization course. The development of an online child welfare practice course assisted the university in meeting the challenges. This paper describes the practice context for social workers in British Columbia as well as the design of the online course offered to social work students at the University of Northern British Columbia.     

Effects of a Solution-Focused Mutual Aid Group for Hispanic Children of Incarcerated Parents

Children of incarcerated parents are five to six times more likely to go to prison than their peers (Johnston, 1995). Yet, there is a lacuna in the literature that examines the effectiveness of interventions for children with an incarcerated family member. The purpose of the present study is to describe a solution-focused, mutual aid group intervention and to examine the effects of the group on the self-esteem of elementary-age Hispanic children of incarcerated parents when compared to a no-treatment comparison group. Implications for social work practice and research with this vulnerable population are addressed.     

Crossover Children: Examining Initial Criminal Justice System Contact Among Child Protection-Involved Youth

ABSTRACT

Child protection-involved youth face increased risk of criminal justice system contact. Such “crossover children” experience earlier police involvement and more serious criminal justice sanctions, yet little is known about their early offending. Using a cross-sectional sample of 300 crossover children before three Victorian Children's Courts in 2016–17, this mixed-methods study examines the nature and context of children's initial police charges. Findings indicate that crossover children are initially charged with disproportionately violent offending, and often incur first police charges around the time of initial care placement. For many, initial criminal justice contact occurred in the context of conflict with caregivers, ongoing maltreatment, and household adversity, or emotional and behavioural regulation challenges. Efforts towards preventing offending for child-protection-involved youth should focus on preventing childhood maltreatment, alongside targeting parent–child relationship challenges, and strengthening community and care system responses that address the impacts of complex trauma, mental health problems, and neurodisability.

IMPLICATIONS

• Compared to all sentenced children, those from statutory child protection backgrounds are charged with more serious offending at their first criminal court adjudication.

• Among “crossover children”, earlier police charges were seen for Indigenous children, those experiencing greater cumulative maltreatment, and children with emotional or behavioural challenges related to trauma, mental health, and neurodisability.

• Crossover children are most often first charged by police in the year before, and after, their first out-of-home care placement.

     

Parental Imprisonment and Child Protection: A Study of Children Presented to the Melbourne Children's Court

Abstract

This paper reports on a study funded by the Criminology Research Council, Australia, which set out to investigate the intersection between the child protection and criminal justice systems and the extent to which children before the Melbourne Children's Court on child protection matters had a parent currently in prison, awaiting sentencing, or previously in prison. Magistrates identified 156 children as meeting these criteria during the study period June to December, 2006. Analysis of court records gathered quantitative and qualitative data about parents' offending, why the children had been brought to the attention of the court, and the health, welfare, and behavioural concerns the child protection service expressed about the children. There was no coordinated response by the child protection and justice systems to managing these children's situations. Early intervention and the development of child protection service protocols with the corrections system for children whose parents enter prison is essential, to better address the instability and disruption in care these children experience.     

Fathers' encounters with the Child Welfare Service

In this article, we examined fathers who were or had been in contact with the Child Welfare Services in Norway. All of the fathers included in this study had children with women who were unable to take care of them, either because of substance abuse or mental health problems. Hence, the fathers had the primary responsibility for the children. We looked at how these fathers experienced being met and assessed as caregivers by the Child Welfare Service, as well as how they experienced their own competency as caregivers. To explore these themes, seven fathers who were in contact with or had recently been in contact with the Child Welfare Service were interviewed. The discourses on fatherhood, inspired by Scourfield (2003), were used as a framework for the analysis, and interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to analyse the interviews. We found the fathers' experiences to be considered within the discourses on “fathers as a threat”, “fathers as irrelevant” and “fathers as better than mothers”. In addition, we shed light on topics such as the cultural lag, being single-handedly responsible for the children, and the fathers' views on what is important in their contact with the children.Our goal was to increase awareness about fathers who are in contact with the Child Welfare Service so that they are met in a way that helps to support them in their role as fathers for the benefit of their children.